A pneumatic leg brace for the treatment of tibial stress fractures

Abstract

Forty-two competitive athletes with posterior medial pain in the lower one-half of the tibia were evaluated by plain roentgenograms and bone scans. Twenty stress fractures were diagnosed in 17 patients by plain roentgenograms or bone scans or both. The remaining 25 patients were diagnosed as having shin splints. All 42 patients subsequently had a pneumatic leg brace applied to the affected limb or limbs. The 17 patients with stress fractures were able to ambulate without pain and were allowed to resume light training in an average of one week. Their injuries were nontender to palpation. The patients were allowed to resume intensive training at an average of 3.7 weeks postinjury. Patients returned to competition at the preinjury level in an average of 5.3 weeks after application of the brace. The pneumatic leg brace allowed the athletes with tibial stress fractures to begin pain-free ambulation and rehabilitation, thus facilitating the maintenance of their cardiovascular fitness and permitting an early return to competition.